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Myanmar Details Plans to Ratify Chemical Arms Accord

Myanmar is readying to ratify the Chemical Weapons Convention, a senior official in the president's office said in a Sunday news report.

The government expects to move toward ratification within the current administration's term, the unidentified official was reported by Eleven Media Group to have said.

"After signing, we need to make amendments to the current law and procedures in advance to be in line with the convention in order to proceed to ratification. This part will be carried out within the present government’s term," the official said.

The country's industry ministry early last year transmitted to the lower chamber of parliament a bill and associated articles that focused on limiting the danger of chemicals. The legislation would permit the implementation of the Chemical Weapons Convention.

"The president [Thein Sein] is carrying out agendas required for ratifying the convention. ... We expect to be able to ratify soon if we can confirm the laws and procedures firmly," the official said.

The CWC accord bans the use, stockpiling and development of chemical warfare materials such as sarin and mustard gas. Myanmar signed the convention in 1993.

Myanmar is one of a group of six nations left in the world to have not ratified the chemical-arms ban. The other treaty holdout states are Angola, Egypt, Israel, North Korea and South Sudan.

A news organization in the Southeast Asian country earlier this year reported that the government had clandestinely built a chemical weapons production plant in the central Magwe region. The government was quick to file charges against the journalists for allegedly leaking state secrets and to reject the report's allegations.

May 6, 2014

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Myanmar is readying to ratify the Chemical Weapons Convention, a senior official in the president's office said in a Sunday news report.